Hello Traveler! This is Elsie, your host of Tunes from the Tavern, the fantasy/ bardcore show here on WMWC.
Today we will be listening to selected songs from some of the greatest fantasy/ historical shows, movies, and video games. This includes The Hobbit, Game of Thrones, and others. There is a mix of fully instrumental and actually sung songs, but instrumental music is just as valid and I’m using it to get work done so.
Starting out today is a personal favorite of mine, Ophelia (2018). This is a retelling of the Shakespeare play Hamlet through the perspective of his lover and wife, who dies in the original text. Is it the best adaptation of this play? Probably not. But I love it. So heres,
- Ophelia
- Little More Than a Boy
Next we have everyone’s favorite, the Hobbit. I don’t think I need to introduce this goliath in fantasy literature but just in case, The Hobbit is a movie adaptation of JRR Toiken’s books of the same name which tells the story of Bilbo Baggins going on a grand quest with a wizard and a troupe of dwarves. Here is,
- Blunt the Knives
- Misty Mountains
Up next is a few songs from one of my favorite video games, Baldur’s Gate 3. Set in the world of Faerun, you must go on a journey to save yourself and your country from great evils. Based on and set in the world of Dungeons and Dragons, this fairly open-world game lets me live out my fantasy of being a hero in a magical world. Here is,
- Song of Balduran
- I want to Live
- Bard Dance
Next are songs from another staple in narrative video gaming, Assassins Creed. Last week I highlighted Assassins Creed: Black Flag for its collection of historically accurate Sea Shanties. This week I’ll be playing songs from Assassins creed: Odyssey and Valhalla. I started playing Valhalla over winter break and I fell in love with this world and its lore. Here is,
- Odyssey – Greek Version
- Hrafnsmal
Next up are songs from you know ‘em, you love ‘em, Harry Potter and Narnia. Two much beloved series that have even more beloved movie adaptations. Here’s,
- Double Trouble
- A Narnia Lullaby
Next were moving up from England to the Celts. Outlander is an immensely popular romantasy series that recently had its final season. Telling the story of Claire, a British woman who stumbles across a portal to 18th century Scotland while on a trip with her husband. Of course, she gets stuck and falls in love with a Scott. I only ever got about halfway through the first season, but my mom loves it. Following that is a song from Brave, the Disney movie that tells the story of Merida whose greatest wish is to choose her own fate in 10th-century Scotland. Here is,
- The Skye Boat Song
- Noble Maiden Fair
Next up are two songs from the Witcher on Netflix. This story follows the books of the same name by Andrzej Sapkowski (Andre Sapcovski) which tell the story of Geralt of Rivea, a Witcher for hire who hunts monsters. There are also video games, but these songs are from the show. Here is,
- Toss a Coin to your Witcher
- The Song of the White Wolf
Next up we have two songs from the most recent Hunger Games movie, A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. This movie tells the story of one of the earliest Hunger Games won by District 12’s Lucy Gray Baird. I loved this movie, and I love the music in it. District 12 is in current day Appalachia, so the music Lucy Gray sings is very reminiscent of folk songs. Here is,
- The Hanging Tree
- The Ballad of Lucy Gray Baird
For this second to last section, here are two incredibly famous instrumentals from Game of Thrones and How to Train Your Dragon,
- Main Title
- Romantic Flight
Finally, two songs from two movies I really like,
- The Songchord (Avatar the Way of Water)
- Kingdom Dance (Tangled)
Well traveler, it’s time to go on your way. Thank you for joining me at WMWC and I’ll see you in two weeks for some Celtic Notes.